AN: This story takes place about 7 years into Gunsmoke. For those of you who like to know, I plan 11 chapters. On with the show.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sun was blazing when the stage-coach rocked to a stop in Dodge City. Lola squinted out the window, to get her first look at the town. She'd been in a lot of places over the past 11 years – big, small, poor, fancy, lively, dull. One thing she'd learned in her 26 years on earth was that the place itself didn't matter. Being in that place at the right time, was the important thing.

The stage-coach driver, known to all as Rocky, swung open the door and extended a hand. Clasping it, Lola stretched out a long and shapely leg and stepped onto the walkway. Rocky glanced around and frowned. "Ma'am, I don't see anyone waiting for ya." Lola understood his puzzlement. A woman traveling alone was unusual, and if she did, it was assumed that someone would be waiting to sweep her off to where ever it was she belonged.

Lola looked up at the stocky, grey-haired driver, and unleashed a smile from her arsenal. "I'm here to visit a friend, but it's a surprise. Her name's Kitty Russell." "Ah," Rocky nodded, "Kitty owns the Long Branch. It's the best saloon in town and far beyond, and believe me there's lot's to choose from. You'll see it on the left side, going down Front Street. Can't miss it." Lola tiled her head alluringly. "Thank you, but I think I should freshen up before surprising Kitty. There must be a place, in such a fine town, for a respectable lady to stay." She slowly tucked a stray blond curl behind her ear. Rocky nodded slowly feeling both protective and charmed. He picked up Lola's suitcase. "Ma Smalley's boarding house is best. I don't have to be back on the stage for another 15 minutes. I'll take you there. I have your suitcase, let me grab your duffle bag too. It looks heavy." Lola widened her emerald green eyes and unleashed another smile. "Oh, I'm much stronger than I look. I can carry the duffle bag, please lead the way." Rocky gallantly offered an arm and escorted her around the corner to the boarding house.

Outside the Long Branch, Matt Dillon peered over the batwing doors and scanned the room for a certain redhead. It was late afternoon and the saloon crowd was thin, free lunch time was over, and night life had not yet begun. With his paperwork done, and the town wilting quietly under the hot summer sun, it was the perfect chance for the lawman to spend some time with Kitty. He spotted her and pushed through the doors. She look up from behind the bar, and a smile lit her face. "Hello Cowboy." He folded his arms on the bar and leaned over to meet her eyes. "Hello Kitty."

"It's an awful hot day Matt, I'll get you a beer. I thought you'd still be busy, writing your report about the bank robbery." She set a frothy glass in front of him, and he took a long, appreciative swallow. "I finished it a few minutes ago, but had Chester take it to the Post Office. I also told him to pick up the mail, sweep out the office and hang the new wanted posters. I want to be sure he's earning his keep after he put licorice and hair tonic on the office bill."

Kitty laughed. "Sounds like Chester. You're not really angry with him, are you?" Matt took another sip of beer and shrugged. "It is hard to stay mad at Chester, besides I know how little I play him. I'd give him more, but it's all I can spare from my salary." Kitty smiled gently, "Don't worry about Chester, Matt. I'm sure he'll be by any minute, and …."

The bat wing doors flew open. Kitty looked over mid sentence. She blinked and blinked again. There stood Lola Bennet, a vision in a light blue dress, hair falling in gold curls, red lipstick setting off her full lips. Kitty rushed out from the behind the bar. "Lola, Lola Bennet as I live and breath. I haven't seen you since you left New Orleans when we were both all of 15 years old. You are as beautiful as ever."

"You are more beautiful than ever, Kitty."

The women laughed and hugged. Kitty took Lola's hand. "Come, there's someone I want you to meet." She pulled her old friend over to the bar. "Matt, this is Lola Bennet. We grew up together in New Orleans. Lola, this is Matt Dillon, US Marshal for Kansas territory out of Dodge City." Matt nodded. "A pleasure, Miss Bennet." Lola's eyes ran across Matt's face, and up and down his body, she smiled, "The pleasure is mine, but let's do way with formalities. Call me Lola and I'll call you Matt." Matt nodded. "Sounds fine." He saw Kitty's eyes eagerly shining at her old friend, and grabbed his hat from the bar. "I'll leave you two to catch up, I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

Kitty threw Matt a quick and grateful smile, and grabbed a pitcher of beer and two mugs. "Lola, let's go sit in that small table in the back. I'm sure a woman who walked right into a saloon the way you just did, wouldn't mind a drink." Lola laughed and followed Kitty. They sat across from each other, and Kitty filled both mugs to the brim. Lola glanced around. "Kitty this is quite a place. I'm told it's the best saloon, not only in town, but in the surrounding area."

"It is, and I'm proud of that." Kitty sipped her beer. "When I got to Dodge, I took a job here as a regular saloon girl. My boss, Mr. Pence, was a good man, but I noticed he wasn't a good businessman. I talked him into letting me handle the bookkeeping. If you remember Lola, I was always good with numbers. Anyway, he paid me extra for that, and after a couple of years I had enough money to buy into the place. A couple of years after that, Pence wanted to move East and sold me the rest, at a real fair price. That was 3 years ago and I've been building the place up ever since. Like I said, I'm proud of it and have plans for making it even better."

"Good." Lola took a long drink of beer. "That means you're not marrying him."

"Who?" Kitty frowned.

"I've never been a fool Kitty Russell, you know that. I saw the way you and that marshal, Matt, were looking at each other. I must say, he's quite a piece of manhood."

Kitty felt color start to rise in her cheeks. Lola laughed. "I can still make you blush, just like old times. Anyway I'm glad you're not marrying. Married ladies have to give up their jobs, that's why towns always lose their schoolmarms. Now you, you run a business you're proud of. I can't imagine giving that up to wash a man's shirts, darn his socks, cook his every meal, and scrimp by on a lawman's salary. Imagine cooking every meal for a big man like - wringing chicken's necks, plucking their feathers, sectioning slaughtered pigs and cattle, hauling water from a well, standing over a hot stove, bak….

"Stop Lola, stop." Kitty laughed and put up a hand, but Lola was on a roll. "On the other hand you could buck convention and keep running a saloon after marriage. Of course that would mean you'd have more money than him. You'd be the one paying for someone to do the housework you weren't doing, and you'd have to buy yourself the things a lawman's salary couldn't provide, like those pretty shoes you're wearing now. Hmm, but folks might lose respect for Dillon, if his wife was paying for all those things. He might even lose respect for himself."

"STOP." Kitty laughed and shook her head. "Lola, Matt has reasons for not wanting to marry, and I'm happy with the way things are. Some far, far off someday things might change if I come to a point of knowing I want children, but things are good with me right now, so let's talk about you. I can't wait to hear. What have you been doing? What brings you to Dodge City? What are your plans?"

Lola smiled mysteriously. "First a refill." She slid her empty beer mug across the table. Kitty filled it and topped off her own. They clinked glasses and took sips. Lola set her mug down and leaned towards Kitty. "Well, I…" Lola's green eyes widened, she gasped and fell forward. Her head crashed down on the table, a knife imbedded in her back. Kitty froze in shock before coming to her senses. She jumped to her feet. "Get Doc, get Matt, get Doc." The bartender, Sam, and Chester were already out the door. The few, scattered customers in the place looked around in stunned surprise, asking each other if they'd seen anyone throw a knife. Darlene, a young saloon girl, appeared out of nowhere and ran to Kitty's table. She put her fingers next to Lola's lips. "I feel breaths. She's alive. Should I pull out the knife?" Still stunned Kitty shook her head, "N-no, that could make it worse. Let's wait for Doc, he must be on his way."

TBC